Sunday, June 14, 2009

Saturday June 13th

The weekends are a little easier at RIC. On Saturday I woke up, ate some breakfast, got together with my hands group and played Dominoes with Kalli and one other older gentleman. Then, I made words with the game Boggle. After that, we talked to the doctor about getting a pass so I could actually leave floor number 7 for the first time since I have arrived. The doctor ok'd the pass and we had an hour break until the next class so Kalli and I went down to the second floor on the elevator and saw the elusive Red Tomato. (Pelke, after seeing this place for the first time - there is definitely no chance in getting reservations. It is a first come first serve kind of joint.) After that we came back upstairs for my next class, and last class of the day - occupational therapy, upper body workout. We jammed to some good tunes like "working at the car wash" "I Will Survive", all kinds of great 70s and 80s jams. At the end of this great little arm workout the therapist made us do three laps around the floor. This was definitely the furthest I have wheeled yet - and truthfully, it wasn't that hard. So that was cool.

Also, yesterday was the first day in my wheelchair after it had been finally tuned to perfection. I got a taller back, clothing guards on the sides so I don't rub on the tires, and a really nice cup holder for my roadie. The new chair is lightweight, comfortable and easy to push, but hopefully I won't be in it very long.

After class I was pretty tuckered out and I wanted to make the journey over to the apartment for the first time, so I decided to hop in bed and take a little nap. Meanwhile, my Aunt MaryAnne, Uncle Jerry, good friend Bob Schmelzer and his wife Bethany popped in. Then shortly after, my cousin David Denor and his family stopped in with handmade cards from each of the kids - they are beautiful. I finally slept for about an hour after everyone left.

When I woke up I hopped in the chair and we headed on my first voyage out of the building after being there a week. It was very nice out, about 65 and sunny. The short little jaunt over to Kalli and Mom's apartment was no big deal at all. Once up in the apartment it really felt like our new little home here in Chicago. Everyone has done such an awesome job of pitching in and bringing stuff over. The apartment is fully furnished. The view from the 35th floor, overlooking the lake, marina, and several other high rises in the area is beautiful. It makes you feel like you are in some big house, or mansion, not a 850 square foot apartment. The apartment is perfect and I am so so happy that the girls were able to find something so close and convenient. After my mom cooked me up some home-grown garden asparagus that my dad picked earlier that day at the cabin (mmm delicious) Mark Lee, Laura Dworak, Kalli, Mom, Dad and I sat and chatted for a while. As quickly as can be it was time for me to go back - I only get 3 hours at a time to leave the building, on a normal pass. So, Mark, Kalli and I headed back to RIC and hung out for a while - then it was 8 o clock and it was time for them to go. They headed to dinner and I got ready for a shower and bed.

2 comments:

Good Morning Hip.It's about time that I am the first comment of the day! I am a regular on your blog so it was only a matter of time. (I think I only beat Endow to it because he's doing the "Vegas circuit" with Jack Nicholson). Sounds like you had a great Sat. I am sure it felt good to get out of a hospital/rehab setting and get a little sunshine on your face. I am so glad your mom and Kalli have a place so close by for you to enjoy. Another one of God's miracles...As far as wheelchairs go you seem to have a nice "pimped up" model. I am glad to hear that you don't plan on using it for long.Our plans to move kelly to Chicago today are still on but we are not getting as early of a start as I thought....heading out around 1:00 pm. With the all the moving and assembling of Kelly's new Ikea furniture, I am not sure if we will get to see you or not...especially if you go on another outing...but I do have Ashley's old phone- complete with contacts- so I will try to track you down using that number to see where you are at and to see if we can coordinate a short visit.Hope to see you later today.As always, love and prayers.Tari

Hey Andrew, glad to hear you are enjoying your weekends and getting time to spend with your family and friends. I remember how nice of a break it is from the day-to-day struggles of rehab.

I went out with some of my friends on Friday night and it turns out that one of my best friends, Kris Fischer, works with Kalli's mom at Thrivent. Small word! Well, have a great day relaxing a bit so you can hit therapy hard again starting tomorrow. I can't believe it's only been 2 weeks and you are leaving the hospital for offsite adventures already. Great job!! Keep up the fight....

Second Annual Andrew Hippert Open

Come join us for the Second Annual Andrew Hippert Open. 18 holes of fun (and some golf) food and silent auction afterwards. 10 AM shotgun start. More details to come, but sign up now to ensure your spot.

You can view information, read/write comments, and sign up for the event Here. However, if you do not have a facebook account, please feel free to e-mail Mark Lee with questions or a request for a spot at mrk3525@gmail.com.

Date:

Monday, August 30, 2010

Time:

9:30am - 7:00pm

Location:

High Cliff Golf Course

Street:

W5095 Golf Course Road

City/Town:

Sherwood, W

Wiggle Those Toes Bracelets!!!

Now for sale!

In case you didn't get a chance to make it to the Benefit... Or just forgot to buy a bracelet when you were there.... You still have time! Quantities are limited.... so buy quickly! (Only $5 with Shipping)

DONATIONS

Thank you all for your amazing support! We have had many requests for the ability to donate to Andrew's rising medical costs and have created a PayPal account connected the Andrew Hippert Benefit Account at Fox Communities Credit Union.
Upon making a donation through the link below, a receipt will be sent to your email address. In addition, you will have the option to print a receipt from the site. If you wish to send a donation by mail, you can send it to
Norman Hippert
fbo Andrew Hippert
3110 Simon Road
Manitowoc, WI 54220

POSTING A COMMENT

If you are having difficulties posting a blog, you can follow these steps on posting:

Under each post by Andrew it will read something like: "Posted by Andrew's Family at 9:17 AM20 comments" Please click on "# comments" under the specific post you would like to comment on. (for general comments, it is a good idea to leave your message under the most recent post by Andrew)

Once you have clicked on "# comments" you will be brought to a page that shows all other comments that have been left on this post. Please scroll all the way down to the bottom of the page and type your message in the empty text box under "Post a Comment". Once you have finished typing your message, you will want to choose how you are going to "Comment as:" by choosing from the drop down box next to "Select Profile...". If you do not want to sign in using a specific account, you can simply choose Anonymous (but be sure to leave your name in the message so Andrew knows who you are). If you choose to use a google, AIM, or etc. account to sign in, you will be prompted by the blog to enter your screen name or email address.

Once you have chosen one of these choices, please click on "Post Comment" - if you choose to log in with a google email account or AIM screen name, you may be prompted at this time to enter a password. Please fill in the appropriate information (including any "word verification" prompts) and your message will be posted!

I hope this is helpful! While some people are having problems posting- always try again before you give up.... If you type a real long message, you may want to consider copying the message, in case it were to get lost. That way you can just paste it in if you need to.

What Happened:

Andrew Hippert was in a tragic accident in a swimming pool on May 31st around 3 AM. In this accident he burst a vertebrae in his neck, fractured several others, and bruised his spinal cord. We are asking for prayers to help him recover the most of his functions in the long road ahead of him.